DEEPER WALK: A Spirit Life Devotional(Language of men vs Language of the Spirit)

TODAY'S TEXT : "Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together and was confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day"(Acts 2:5-15)

What a long read for today's text, but its important we learn to read scriptures. People read long articles and reports, why then should it be difficult to read the word of God. This is the highest form of report you can ever read. Isaiah revealed in Isaiah 53:1-2, " Who hath believed our report? That is the person to whom the hand of the Lord will be revealed"(Paraphrased). First, we must understand the heart of God and then we will experience the manifestation of his hands. His heart is revealed through his word, God's report covered in the pages of the Bible. We must always take time to read that. And so if you skipped the text for today it would be good to go back and read all over again before reading today's word.

Here in this scripture, people have found an argument to discredit praying in tongues. The same scripture that proves the disciples spoke in tongues immediately after they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit is also the same scriptures that have been used to disprove against speaking in tongues. From verse 5 of the Acts of the Apostles, we were told that when the disciples began to speak in tongues different men from different places who have come for the festival of Pentecost heard them '....speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God'. And here is where the argument comes from, "the tongues the Apostles spoke where tongues in other languages and not this spiritual gibberish that is been uttered today". In other words, if the tongues aren't the language of men then it is not from God! This has been one of the arguments on this subject.

Truly this is what the word records that men heard the apostles speaking in the LANGUAGES OF MEN when they spoke in tongues, but this was not all that was observed on that day. While.others heard the languages of men there were others who heard the languages of the Spirit which came out as gibberish, spiritual gibberish of sorts, like the one you hear from a drunken man and so they conclude this man must be drunk. Hear what the Scripture says again,

"And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine".

How does a drunken man speak? Proverbs 23:29-30 offers us insight:

"Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine"

Here the scripture tells us that those who tarry long at the wine and mix up strong drinks will have WOE, SORROW, CONTENTIONS and then BABBLING. What does babbling mean? Babbling is defined as, 'the action or fact of talking rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way'. So when the Apostles were mocked as drunken men this was what happened, they saw them babbling, speaking in an incomprehensible way and concluded that this Holy Ghost tongue-speaking business was all about men drunken with wine speaking nonsense. And that's why when Peter started his message it was from here, to correct the notion that the Apostles or the disciples were drunk in wine whereas they were drunk in something much more higher, the Holy Ghost!

The Apostle Paul also compared the experience of been filled with the Holy Ghost as like someone drunk with wine. In Ephesians 5:18 he says, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;".

Pentecost was the day of power, the day of tongues and contrary to what many would have us believed, it was a tale of two tongues: one the languages of men been spoken supernaturally having never learned before and then the language of the Spirit spoken in a way where the mind is unfruitful and cannot understand. Both operations are of the same Spirit.

Let no devil confuse you then and rob you of the power of building up yourself daily in the power of God by praying in the spirit by telling you what you are speaking is gibberish and ought to be understandable to at least other men. This ought not to always be the case, when God wants to show his wonders he would make us speaks in languages of men that we have previously not learned. This He does to get attention for himself, but more often than not when we pray in tongues it will be according to the level of 1 Corinthians 14:2,

"For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries"

This is the level where 'no man understandeth him, howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries to God'. Here, when we pray in the Spirit we speak the mysteries of God to counter the miseries of life! Every misery of your life gives way now, amen!

DEEPER WALK: A SPIRIT LIFE DEVOTIONAL(ACTIVATED BY ...

DEEPER WALK: A Spirit life Devotional(Unfruitful mind, ...

PETER ADESHINA BABALOLA(PAB) is a lover of God and a teacher of His word. His 20 years in ministry has seen him served as a pastor in major ministries in Nigeria where he planted and pastored many churches across the nation.
From Port Harcourt to Uyo to Akure to Lagos, PAB has been privileged to affect lives through the preaching and teaching of the word.
An insightful teacher and writer, PAB writes for blogs and magazines across the nation as well teaching the word across the length and breadth of the land and beyond.
Reach PAB by mail: pab@powertalk.com.ng 08087872077 facebook.com/peter adeshina babalola. twitter/pabspeaks